What does the Mstand street coffee stall in Dongguan show?

An Mstand store in Dongguan, Guangdong, has been operating from a temporary outdoor stall in a mall corridor. The mall reassigned its street-facing unit to another brand, and with the new store's renovation unfinished and the old site boarded up, staff set up a bar counter outside. The photo, taken in 12°C wind, drew wide attention online.

Reactions split: some readers liked the camping look of the bar, the motorcycle parked beside it and the white storage boxes, noting that dine-in seating was kept. Others focused on the employees working long hours in the cold. The case shows how mall layout changes can reshape store operations and highlights working conditions across the coffee industry.

Recently, an Mstand store in Dongguan, Guangdong, was forced to operate as a temporary outdoor stall in a corridor due to adjustments in the mall's business layout, sparking widespread attention online. This "shabbiest" Mstand, without glass curtain walls, unexpectedly exudes a unique camping vibe. Some find it cool and atmospheric, while others feel sorry for the staff working long hours in the 12°C cold wind. The incident reflects the impact of commercial adjustments on store operations and draws attention to the real situation of coffee workers. Front Street Coffee always follows coffee industry trends and brings frontline observations.

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Recently, a Guangdong netizen posted on social media with the blunt title "The shabbiest Mstand store is just like this," quickly attracting a flood of onlookers and discussion.

According to the poster, this criticized Mstand was originally located on the first floor of Dongguan Huiyicheng Mall, a street-facing shop that regularly drew many fans and passersby. But the mall recently adjusted its business layout, and this prime location was taken over by another brand, forcing Mstand to move to another area within the mall.

Since the new store's renovation was not yet complete and the old store had been reclaimed and boarded up, the homeless Mstand had no choice but to continue operating as a temporary stall in the outdoor corridor in front of the new store. On the day of the post, a cold wind was blowing, and the local minimum temperature was only 12°C. Seeing this, the poster couldn't help but sigh, "Such a cold day, I feel for the staff."

(Top: the old store in Huiyicheng; Bottom: the temporary store)

After the post was published, this outdoor Mstand without floor-to-ceiling glass immediately became the focus of netizens' attention. Many felt that the cool motorcycle next to the bar, the stacked white storage boxes printed with the logo, and the familiar black sign together created a distinctive camping atmosphere, making this street-side store "look really cool," "quite atmospheric," and "overall quite nice-looking."

Sharp-eyed users even noticed that this outdoor store actually kept dine-in seating, and couldn't help commenting, "You call it shabby, but it has dine-in seating," believing that ordering a coffee and sitting down in such a uniquely atmospheric Mstand would be a special experience. Creative netizens joked, "Mstand means they want you all to stand and drink," and "Mstand is actually man stand," laughing that this temporary store truly lives up to its name.

However, when seeing the workers in thick coats making drinks in the drafty wind, many users still felt sorry for them. Local residents said that although it is in Guangdong, the temperature has dropped sharply recently with constant cold winds, and staff working long hours in an unsheltered outdoor environment are prone to catching colds.

Some netizens noticed cold medicine the staff had brought themselves placed inside the bar and couldn't help speaking up for them: "Poor baristas, it's too cold and windy in this weather," "Working like beasts of burden, every day messy in the wind," "Can't they put up a canopy? People are freezing numb," "How can it be both cool and miserable? Their hands are going to get wrinkled from the wind."

However, users who went to check out this unique Mstand revealed that after asking the staff, they learned that the renovation of the new Huiyicheng store is in its final stage, and in a few days the staff will be able to move all the machines and equipment into the bright, clean store and resume normal operations.

Image source: Xiaohongshu

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The above content is compiled by CoffeeHunters, a coffee news website.